On Fridany, May 8, 2026, The Trump administration released the first significant tranche of declassified files on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), the official term that has replaced UFO in U.S. government usage. The files were published on a dedicated portal at war.gov/UFO and consist of seventeen pages of imagery, video, flight records, and military reports drawn from across the federal government. The release is the first under the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, known by the acronym PURSUE, a White House-directed transparency initiative that the administration says will continue to release additional tranches every few weeks.
The release follows a directive President Donald Trump issued on Feb. 19, 2026, instructing the Department of War, which the Pentagon was rebranded under in early 2026, and the broader intelligence community to identify and declassify materials relating to UAP, unidentified flying objects, and alleged extraterrestrial activity. Trump posted on Truth Social after the rollout that he had asked relevant agencies to begin the full declassification of UAP-related records.
“Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” Trump wrote.
Importantly, NBC News and other outlets reviewing the released material noted that none of the documents in the first tranche provides evidence of extraterrestrial visitation or of any government interaction with non-human intelligence. The administration has been careful to describe the released cases as “unresolved” rather than “unexplained.” The Department of War portal explicitly notes that files marked unresolved are cases where the government has been unable to make a definitive determination on the nature of what was observed.
Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 photos and transcripts drew the most public attention
The element of the release that has drawn the most public discussion is a set of historical photos and communications transcripts from the Apollo 12 (1969) and Apollo 17 (1972) missions to the Moon. According to the Daily Mail, one Apollo 17 photo from the lunar surface appears to show three unidentified bright points in the black sky above the lunar horizon. The official version released by the Department of War highlights the relevant area with a yellow box.
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The declassified Apollo 17 communications transcripts include moments when astronauts described seeing unexplained particles or objects during the mission. One crew member reported to ground control: “We’ve got a couple of bright particles or pieces of something here that floated by as we maneuvered.” Another described what he saw out of his window as “looking like Independence Day fireworks.” A third account described irregularly shaped objects tumbling as they moved.
The release also includes imagery from the military and FBI. One set of FBI archival photographs was taken on New Year’s Eve 1999 and shows unidentified dark objects appearing in frame alongside U.S. military aircraft. A separate set of videos taken by military pilots shows fast-moving objects passing close to military aircraft.
According to Fox News, a newly declassified Military Mission Report (MISREP) describes a service member observing several bright objects maneuvering rapidly from west to northeast and using onboard targeting systems to track one of them for roughly twenty seconds. The report says the target then dimmed abruptly and disappeared.
The accompanying documentation is explicit that these descriptions reflect witness observations only and should not be read as official confirmation of the nature or capabilities of the observed objects.
The administration says the release is the first in a rolling process
The White House said in its statement accompanying the release that previous administrations had downplayed or sought to suppress public discussion of UAP, while the Trump administration is committed to “maximum transparency” with the American public.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said: “These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves.”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said the intelligence community is coordinating with the Department of War on a comprehensive review and declassification of additional UAP records.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the release marks the first time members of the public can access UAP-related government files without barriers.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said NASA will continue to study unknown phenomena based on science and data and will be candid about both what is known and what remains unknown.
The Department of War said the PURSUE initiative spans dozens of agencies and tens of millions of records, many of which exist only on paper, and that declassified materials will be released in tranches as agencies locate, review, and declassify additional records. The first-day rollout of the war.gov/UFO portal experienced technical problems, NBC News reported, with users encountering errors during the morning hours.
The release represents the first major consolidated declassification of UAP records in U.S. government history, replacing what had previously been a fragmented process of Freedom of Information Act requests, congressional letters, and unauthorized leaks. Whether subsequent tranches reveal substantively new operational detail or remain at the level of Apollo-era curiosities and short infrared clips will be the test of whether the PURSUE initiative delivers on the transparency commitment Trump has staked it on.